A large block rural land owner lodges an application to rezone a portion of their land to rural residential. Such a change in land use may increase electrical load forcing the local network company to undertake upgrades that have not been planned for.

Definition Changes

Aggregate commonly used in the construction of substations is proposed to be re-classified from ‘clean fill’ to ‘fill’ imposing enhanced consenting requirements and costs.

Earthworks

A district council proposes to impose volume restrictions to permitted activity earthworks. This restriction could create a ‘double-dipping’ of land disturbance consent as earthworks are simultaneously regulated by the Regional Council.

Ecology

A proposed distribution line is required to cross land defined in the District Plan as ‘of National Ecological Significance’. A district plan is not the vehicle to identify areas of national significance and this term should be removed from local planning documents during the plan review process.

Mitigation

Biodiversity offsets are proposed to be included in a district or regional plan as a method to ‘avoid, remedy or mitigate’ the adverse effects of a proposed development. Network operators can make representations, as the RMA is not a ‘no effects’ statute. Offsetting should be applied as part of development mitigation, not in addition to the mitigation.

Reverse Sensitivity

Residential development has been permitted to ‘creep’ into an audible distance from an established substation resulting in issues of ‘reverse sensitivity’. Local regulators can pressure the network utility operator to undertake retrospective acoustic bunding.